A Fresh Start
by butterflywhisper
Summary: Sara returns home to Vegas years after her kidnapping and she has secrets.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or any places/persons/things mentioned here.

A/N: This is my first published fanfic. I'm currently working on another one but this story just begged to be written at this time. It contains slight spoilers for episdoe 8x07. This is just how I see how things could turn out for Sara (and Grissom) in the long run.

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Sara pulled her rented SUV in front of the Las Vegas Crime Lab and turned off the engine. Resting her head against the headrest, she breathed deeply but it did nothing to settle the excitement zipping along her nerves and the butterflies flitting in her stomach. Home. A grin spread across her face as it struck her that she was finally home to stay. Funny, but when she first moved to Vegas nearly eleven years ago, she never thought it would really feel like home. At the time, home had meant ocean vistas, cool breezes, and sea salt in the air. But now, she hated every minute that she had to be away from Vegas despite its gaudy lights, endless string of gawking tourists and the scorching desert heat. Guess the old adage "home is where the heart is" really was true. Course, as a slight frown settled on her face at the thought, things were about to change and in big ways. She didn't know how her old friends were going to react to her big news. Or how Grissom would take her big, big news. That was the one that really worried her. But she was never one to shy away from a challenge or a problem. So she jumped out of the SUV and groaned as cramped muscles protested the movement after driving nearly 15 straight hours. It had been a long haul but it was worth it. She had made it in time so she could see her friends before the night shift started. 

With one final stretch, Sara turned on her heel and walked to the rear of the SUV. She lifted the hatch and dug around the boxes and bags that were stacked to the ceiling. Finally, with an "Ah-ha, there you are", she pulled out a green- and yellow-striped gift bag. She slammed the hatch shut and started walking towards the lab. At least she didn't have to worry about Ecklie anymore, she thought as she chuckled to herself. Almost a year ago, Ecklie had gotten canned. No one had ever heard the official reason for his dismissal but the rumor on the grapevine was that Ecklie had been deliberately withholding promotions of some personnel while advancing the careers of those who stroked his ego. Sara had laughed when she first heard that one. She guessed that she never would have gotten far if she had not left the lab shortly after her kidnapping. There was certainly never love lost between Ecklie and herself. After Ecklie's dismissal, the position of assistant lab director had been offered to Grissom but after much deliberation, he eventually turned it down. He claimed he didn't want to deal with the paperwork and politics that came with the position but Sara knew it really was because he didn't want to give up the fieldwork or working with his protégés. Taking one last deep breath of the June evening air, she stepped through the doors of the lab.

Judy, the receptionist, looked up and immediately greeted Sara warmly. "Sara, how nice to see you! Are you back in town for the weekend?"

"Hi, Judy," Sara replied as she walked over to the receptionist's desk and leaned against it. "Actually, I'm back home for good now."

"Really?! Well, congratulations!"

"Thanks. I'll need to make a few quick trips back east but I'm pretty much home to stay."

"Bet you're glad to finally be done."

"Well, I'm not completely done. That's why I have to make a couple trips yet." Sara glanced around. "Have you seen Gris around?"

"I saw him come in about an hour ago but not since. Shift hasn't started yet so he must be around somewhere. Do you want me to page him?"

"No thanks, Judy. I'll just wander around until I find him."

As Judy replied, "Alright", Sara began wandering down the halls.

A lot had changed in the last three and a half years yet everything was still the same. The layout of the lab had remained unchanged so Sara could walk around confidently finding her way. As a visitor, she really should have been escorted by an employee, or at the very least, worn a visitor's badge, but no one stopped her or questioned her. Everyone knew who Sara was. She was greeted by lab techs and others everywhere she went. Some of the faces were new but many were familiar. She had worked with a lot of them during her days at the lab while others she had gotten to know during her many visits since then.

Walking past the A/V lab, Sara saw Archie deep in concentration watching some video. She stepped into the darkened lab. "Hey, Archie. How's it going?"

Archie jumped at the sudden interruption. Annoyed, he looked over his shoulder to see who startled him. When he saw it was Sara, a broad grin broke out. "Sara, good to see ya."

"You, too, Archie. What are you working on?"

"There was a triple homicide over at the Bellagio. Two bodies were found in a hotel room and another in a service elevator. They don't know if the two crime scenes are related or not. I've been watching surveillance video for the last," he quickly glanced at a clock, "oh, about 14 hours."

"Ouch. You must about be cross-eyed by now." Although she didn't envy Archie his task, Sara felt an exciting tingle at the thought of digging in and solving crimes again. For a couple years after her kidnapping, she was bothered by crime scenes. But eventually, she started to miss the adrenaline rush that came with chasing down the clues and solving the mystery. "Any significant leads?"

"We thought we had something. There was this one shifty character that we spotted going up in the elevator with one of the vics but his alibi checked out. So now I'm having to start over."

"Too bad. Well, I want to catch everyone before shift starts so I'm off. Good luck."

"Yeah. See you around," he replied distractedly as he turned his attention back to the video.

Sara continued down the hall. Along the way, Hodges greeted her from his lab but she just waved a hand in reply and hurried along. She didn't want to get caught up in one of his long-winded, arrogant speeches or she would never get around to seeing everyone.

Coming round a corner, she spotted Nick coming out of the locker room.

Nick, upon seeing Sara, hollered "Dr. Sidle-Grissom!" He rushed over, captured her in a big bear hug and swung her around.

Sara laughed as she returned his hug. "Nick! It's so good to see you!" she said as she pulled out of his arms. "And it's not 'doctor' yet," as she lightly punched him in the arm.

"Ouch! Close enough," he teased before looking at her questioningly. "Say, aren't you a few days early? I thought Grissom said you were first going to be back this weekend."

They turned and started ambling down the hall. "Well," Sara started out, "I worked straight through several days taking only a few catnaps and ended up turning in the final copy of my doctorate's dissertation a few days earlier than I had planned. So I quick packed up and got on the road."

"I was surprised to hear that you were coming back by yourself. I would've thought that husband of yours would've flown out to help you pack up and move back."

"There wasn't much to pack. The apartment I was renting was furnished so no furniture to move. And things like the dishes and pots and pans, well, we've got all the stuff at the house here in Vegas, so I just sold it. What I couldn't sell, I gave away. When you're in a college environment, there's always someone willing to take junk off your hands. So in the end, it was pretty much just clothes and books. But Gris is planning on flying out with me when I have to defend my dissertation."

"Any idea when that'll be?"

"It'll probably be close to the end of summer. Maybe even later on in the fall."

"And then it'll officially be Dr. Sidle-Grissom, doctor of physics." Nick wrapped his arm around Sara's slender shoulders and gave her a squeeze. A warm glow spread over her as Nick whispered in her ear, "I'm so proud of you, Sara. After all you went through, you still had the strength to pursue your dreams."

"Thanks, Nicky," she replied with a catch in her voice. She turned away slightly to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. It really touched her that Nick cared so much. She remembered a long time in her life when no one cared whether she lived or died much less if she finished her degree or not.

"No, seriously," Nick continued as he stopped, grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. "We all understood when you decided to quit the lab and take that position teaching physics at UNLV. Frankly, after you told to us all about your messed-up childhood, I was amazed that you could ever stand to work in criminalistics. But then when you decided to go back to Harvard to pursue a doctorate degree, I was truly amazed. Most people who went through what you did just a short year earlier, well, they would've wanted to stick close to their family and friends. But you got beyond that. You knew what you wanted, what you needed, and you pursued it. That took a lot of nerve and a lot of guts."

"Oh, stop," she laughed lightly as the tears continued to well up. "I couldn't have done it without the support of you and everyone else here at the lab." She turned away and sniffed. Oh, how she hated these darn hormones. Nick's praise was very touching but normally she would've been able to keep herself under control. She was just getting way too weepy lately and she absolutely hated crying in front of anyone, even her friends who had seen her at her best and at her worst. Before she could get any more emotional, she quickly changed the subject. "How are the wedding plans coming along?"

Nick snorted. "Well, let's just say that I'm still counting in weeks but Jenny's counting in days. Man, she's freaking out already. There are times I swear I don't even know her anymore. I can't imagine what she's going to be like by the time the big day arrives."

Sara chuckled. She had met Jenny a little over a year ago when the nightshift had gotten together for dinner one evening while she was in town. At the time, Nick and Jenny had only been going together about three weeks but the instant Sara saw the two together, she knew that Nick was a goner. He had doted on Jenny all evening while she had eyes only for Nick. Nick had met the kindergarten teacher while investigating a domestic violence case at her neighbor's condo and Sara had no doubts that it was love, or at least infatuation, at first sight.

Sara teasingly elbowed him in the ribs. "So how many 'weeks' is it now?"

"Seven. Or as Jenny put it this morning, 52 days."

"You should've done like Gris and I."

"What? Get engaged and married all in the same day and not even tell anyone? No way. I wanted to live."

"We lived! Very happily I might add."

"Yeah, but you weren't there when Catherine threatened Greg and I that if we ever pulled the same stunt, she'd hunt us down and make us sopranos. I tell you, girl, I was shaking in my boots. I think she was dead serious."

"She didn't exactly let us off the hook. We got quite the lecture." Although Catherine and she had not been really close back then, Catherine and Grissom had been very close for years. So excluding their friends had hurt Catherine deeply. She probably wouldn't have taken it so personally but it reminded Catherine too much of Warrick's quicky wedding which had hurt her even more. "You know," Sara continued quietly, "I think she was still hurting from the way Warrick ran off and got married. That's why she got so angry with us."

"Yeah, Warrick's marriage really threw her for a loop. Warrick and I were out drinking one time after he and Tina had a huge fight. Anyways, Warrick kind of let it slip that Cath told him shortly after he got married that she had a thing for him. I'm glad that they were eventually able to work things out. It probably didn't end as they expected it, too, but it's a lot nicer nice now that there isn't all that tension between them. Working with those two used to be like walking on eggshells."

Shortly after Sara had left the lab and Warrick's divorce from Tina was finalized, Catherine and Warrick had indulged in a steamy but short-lived affair. But after about five months, the passion faded and the two realized they didn't have enough in common to create a lasting, committed relationship. For a while after they broke up, there was a nervous tension in the air whenever the two were in a room together but eventually they rebuilt their friendship and moved on.

"All's well that ends well?" Sara asked.

"You bet it is," Nick replied as they turned to start their way down the hall again. "Talking of ending well, what are your plans now? Do you plan on returning to teaching at UNLV?"

"I haven't given it much thought yet. Guess I'll see what turns up in the next couple months," she replied but kept her eyes averted so that Nick couldn't see the truth in her face. That was the problem with having investigators as friends. They were trained to sniff out lies so keeping secrets was nearly impossible. She knew exactly what her plans were but she wanted to let everyone in on her secret – one of her secrets – all at the same time so that no one would feel left out. Thankfully, Nick let the subject drop.

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TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to all who've reviewed and/or added this story to their alerts. Please, R&R. This is chapter 2 of 3.

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Nick and Sara were still chatting as they continued down the hallway. They were about to turn a corner when suddenly Grissom came around it with his nose buried in some files. He almost ran into them when he glanced up and then stopped in shock. "Wha . . .Sara, what are you doing here? I just talked to you this morning. I thought you were still in Cambridge!"

"Surprise!"

"Geez, Gris," Nick teased, "I'm not even married yet and even I know that's no way to greet your wife especially when you haven't seen her for six weeks."

Grissom just glared at Nick over the top of his glasses before he leaned in to peck Sara on the cheek. "Sorry, dear," he whispered in her ear so only she could hear his endearment.

Sara just smirked. In the three and a half years that they had been married, he had yet to kiss her on the lips in front of any of their friends and rarely called her any nicknames in front of them. It was kind of cute, though, because in private, he was so passionate and they couldn't keep their hands off each other. They were constantly touching when at home. Sara did recall one time when Brass had accidently caught them kissing. They had been in Grissom's office saying goodbye before she flew back east when Brass had walked in on them. They had all been pretty embarrassed and Brass quickly retreated. After that, they made sure the door was always latched and locked when they wanted to say goodbye.

Sara's musings were interrupted when Nick mumbled, "I'll leave you two alone" and took off.

Once Nick was gone, Grissom looked around and not seeing anyone, he pulled Sara into his arms and kissed her passionately. "Hello, Mrs. Grissom," he murmured against her lips.

"Hello, Mr. Grissom" she whispered back as a small smile flitted across her lips.

"Shall we continue this in my office?"

"Mmmm, let's".

Gris released her but slipped her hand in his which surprised her. Out in public away from the lab, they usually held hands but never at the lab. Guess he must've really missed me, Sara thought. She'd have to stay away longer more often. But then, recalling the last two and half years while she was away studying and teaching at Harvard, she quickly decided against it. So, they walked hand-in-hand to his office. When they stepped into his office, Grissom closed the door and flicked the blinds closed.

"Why, Mr. Grissom, I don't know if I feel safe in this big office all alone with you," she teased.

"Good, you shouldn't," he growled as he reached out and snatched her around the waist bringing her in close. The gift bag in her hand slipped unnoticed to the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck running her fingers through the curls at his nape while he brushed his lips against hers. As their passion ignited, his kiss became more forceful. The hand at her waist brought her in closer while the other ran up her back and neck to cup her head. His tongue darted out and licked at her lower lip. Sara moaned allowing his tongue to slip between her lips. One of her hands slipped around down to his chest and then his abs. Through the haze of passion, she realized his muscles were firmer, more defined which only turned her on more. She moaned deep in her throat and let her hand come to rest at the side of his tight waist. Meanwhile the hand that had been holding her head slid down her back, around her side and cupped her breast. His thumb lightly grazed the nipple sending tingles up and down Sara's spine.

"Oh, God, Gil," she gasped. She pulled back, resting her forehead against his while they both struggled to catch their breath. "Don't start something you can't finish," she whispered in short, sweet puffs as her breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Oh, I can finish, honey . . . "

She placed a finger against his lips. "Don't start what you can't finish here . . . now . . ."

He placed a light kiss on her finger then pulled her into a gentle hug as their passion slowly ebbed. "It's been six long weeks since I've seen you," he groaned. "You realize that's the longest we have gone without seeing each other since you first moved here to Vegas?"

Sara smiled secretively to herself. It had been a long six weeks but a very special time. "Yeah, I know. I've been counting the days, too." She had had more than one reason to count the days. "It just couldn't be helped. First you had a couple high-profile cases back-to-back and then I had to finish my dissertation and couldn't afford the distraction that is one sexy Gil Grissom."

"So you think I'm sexy?"

"Of course." She pulled out of his arms and winked at him. "Why do you think I married you if not for your body? I see you've been working out lately," as she poked him in the abs. She then bent down to retrieve the gift bag. "And while you've been busy in the gym, I've also had a very productive six weeks."

"Yes, you'll soon have your degree. You're finally home for good. Not to mention your new job back . . . "

Sara shook her head and interrupted Grissom. "That's not what I meant. Here," she said as she handed him the gift bag.

He glanced at the gift bag then back to her. "Huh?"

"Just open it." She smiled coyly as she offered him the bag a second time.

She had roused his curiosity so he took the bag, walked over to his desk and set it down. He shuffled through the tissue paper to find and pull out a bundle of black cloth. As he shook it out, it revealed itself to be a black T-shirt with bold, white lettering on front. At first, Grissom just held it up looking baffled. Then, slowly, as its meaning sunk in, he gasped and then swallowed loudly. "Sara?" Then he turned and looked at her as if to confirm the meaning of his gift. "Does this mean . . . Are you . . . Are we . . . ?"

Sara just nodded excitedly. Grissom dropped the T-shirt and rushed over grabbing Sara around her waist and swinging her around. His shouts and woo-hoos were loud enough to be heard up and down the hall. He set her down and started kissing her all over her face and neck. "Gil, stop it," she giggled but he just continued. "Gris!" she said more sharply this time. "I didn't expect you to be this excited!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he questioned as he placed one final kiss on her lips. Then he walked back over to his desk stripping off his polo shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"Putting on my new T-shirt," he stated matter-of-factly like there was no question he would wear it right away.

"If you put it on, then everyone will know!"

"Yeah?"

"Well, you just found out yourself. And it's kind of early yet. You know, don't want to jinx it. That kind of thing."

"Honey, it's not going to jinx it. And I don't care if the whole world knows! I want the whole world to know!"

Sara just shook her head and chuckled in astonishment. She really couldn't believe this was her normally reserved-in-public, keep-everything-a-secret husband. Granted, he was not as private as he used to be but she really didn't think he would want everyone to know so soon. Even though they had planned on it, she figured he would need some time to adjust to the idea before they started telling everyone. But then again, with all their friends being investigators, it probably wouldn't remain a secret for very long especially with how sick she got some days. She was just lucky that today had been a good day. Of course, their friends had been pretty clueless for the first couple years of their relationship so maybe they would need a few clues this time around to help them out.

As Grissom stripped the T-shirt over his head, he caught a glimpse of the wall clock and groaned. Shift would start in another twenty minutes. "I'm sorry, Sara. I have to check if any new assignments have come in before shift starts and there are some lab results I have to check on. I'll see you at home? "

"That's OK. I'm going to hang out here for a little bit anyways. Hopefully get to visit with a few people. Figured I would sit in on assignments, as well, so I can start getting a feel for things again."

"Then I'll see you in the break room in a few minutes." He grabbed a lab coat off the coat rack, slipped it on and started buttoning it up. "What?" he asked when Sara stared at him with a confused look upon her face.

She gestured at his lab coat. "I thought you wanted the whole world to know. No one's going to know if you cover it up."

He opened the door and placed a hand in the small of Sara's back to guide her out of the office. "Oh, I'll reveal it. Just in my own way and own time," he said with a scheming grin as they started walking down the hall.

As they came to the dayshift supervisor's office, the door swung open and a harried Catherine rushed out almost bumping into Sara.

"Sara! What are you doing here? You weren't supposed to be here for another couple days." As Catherine continued to babble she pulled Sara into a welcoming embrace that Sara returned warmly. After Sara had left the lab, Catherine had become her closest friend, except for Gris. She certainly was the best girlfriend she had ever had. She figured that was because they both knew they could be completely honest with each other. It also helped that they didn't feel the need to compete anymore to establish their position as the top female on the team. Looking back now, Sara realized it was silly but that was simply the way it was. They were both strong, opinionated women who had learned to fight to survive.

"Hey, Cath, good to see you, too," Sara said as she stepped out of Catherine's hug.

Catherine peered over Sara's shoulder and then back at Sara. "So that explains that."

"Explains what?"

"What all that hollering was coming from Gil's office."

"Oh, uh, yeah, that's why" stuttered Sara as pink tinged her cheeks and Grissom smirked. "What are you still doing here?" Sara continued quickly. "Dayshift ended hours ago."

"Had to pull a double. There was a triple at the Bellagio. And, of course, being supervisor, I get to be the last one to leave."

"Yeah, Archie was telling me about that. How is the new job as dayshift supervisor?"

"Tough. It's been five months already but there are times yet when I feel like a first-day rookie. I don't know how you did it all these years, Gil. I swear sometimes it's like trying to deal with a bunch of two-year-olds. This one wants that, that one wants this. Then they get on the outs and don't want to work together anymore . . . " She trailed off shaking her head in clear frustration.

"You take each day and each situation as it comes. You learn from it and you move on," Grissom replied.

Catherine snorted. "If only it were that simple! And if I ever accuse of being socially inept again," she said as she pointed a finger at Grissom, "just remind me of these last few months. Someone who's socially inept could not possibly deal with all the egos and conflicts and crap that comes up. At least with the old team, I knew everyone's personality and their quirks. If someone new joined the team, then it was just one person to get to know. This is a whole team of people who already knew each other and whose team dynamics were already set in place long before I came along. Now I'm the new kid on the block. And don't even mention the paperwork. I am so sick of paperwork already!"

Grissom chuckled. "You're doing fine, Cath. I've heard nothing but good things about dayshift since you've taken over. I've heard you're making it into a real, close-knit team."

"Yeah?" Catherine seemed a little surprised but genuinely pleased. Praise from Grissom was like water to a person dying of thirst especially to someone like Catherine who greatly admired Grissom.

"Yeah. Almost as good as the nightshift," he teased as he winked at her. Catherine glared at him. "Stop worrying, you're doing just fine. And my door is always open if you need to talk." He glanced at his watch. "Time stands still for no man. I have to go. Shift starts in a few minutes." He quickly pecked Sara on the cheek and took off down the hall.

"Cath, you know Grissom. He wouldn't lie or sugarcoat it. If he's hearing good things, then you must be doing a good job," Sara told her friend. "And if he tells you that he thinks you're doing a good job, then you really must be doing a very good job." Then, lowering her voice, Sara confided, "Gil has told me a couple times that he admires the job you've been doing." Sara had been hearing good things about Catherine's supervisory skills from others as well, mainly Nick and Warrick. Unlike the first time when she was swing supervisor after the nightshift had been broken up, she didn't let the power go to her head. Instead, this time, she was taking the time to gain the trust of her subordinates and to lead them rather than to control them.

Catherine glowed at Sara's compliments.

"Are you heading home?" inquired Sara as Catherine continued to contemplate the praise. "Suppose you need to grab some sleep before your next shift begins."

"Actually, I'm supposed to be off tomorrow which is one of the reasons I stayed so late today. But, yeah, I'm heading home."

"Must be quite a change with Lindsey out of the house now." Catherine's daughter had just completed her freshman year of college and had moved into an apartment with a couple of her girlfriends.

"It's so quiet now. No more running after school events, no blaring music or constant chattering. Even with Ted in the house, it seems so dead after having lived with a hyperactive teenager for the last several years. And right now Ted's out of town at a restaurateurs' convention so it's absolutely dead at home. I can't wait until he gets back. It's only been two days and it already feels like forever. I miss having a warm body to snuggle up to at night." Catherine positively glowed as she talked about her new husband of only nine months.

Sara giggled as Catherine carried on.

"What?"

"Nothing," Sara replied while trying to suppress a smirk. Ted had been good for Catherine. They met while Catherine was investigating an armed robbery at a casino where one of Ted's restaurants was located. Even before Sara had known there was a new man in Catherine's life, she could tell a difference in Catherine. Ted had mellowed her slightly. She was still the same Cath everyone knew and loved but she wasn't as defensive or abrasive anymore and less of a control-freak.

"Oh, come on. You can't tell me that you don't miss snuggling with Gil. Not that I'm thinking about that!"

"That's good to know," retorted Sara.

Catherine just frowned at her. "I just don't know how you did it. I can't spend two days apart from Ted and you two have spent nearly three years apart!"

"We weren't apart the whole time. There were holiday breaks and summer breaks not to mention several weekends back and forth. We have so many airline miles built up that I think we could fly around the world half a dozen times all for free."

"That's not the same."

"No, it's not the same. I'm thrilled to finally be done and back in town on a permanent basis so we can get back to a normal life. Or as normal life as we can have." She knew that with Grissom and their careers, nothing would ever be normal but she preferred it that way. She had never had a normal life and she didn't know if she could handle 'normal'. "If Ted's not waiting for you at home and you don't have to be back in tomorrow, why don't you hang out in the break room with me for a little while? I want to say 'hi' to the guys but then maybe we can go grab a bite to eat afterwards."

"Sounds like fun. We could maybe even get a couple drinks afterwards."

"Yeah, sure," Sara replied hesitantly. She sure hoped that Catherine would just forget about the drinks or she would have to come up with some believable excuse that Catherine wouldn't see right through. Or else she'd have to spill her guts about one of her secrets and she wasn't quite ready for that.

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TBC 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read my story. Thanks to everyone who left reviews or added this story to their alerts list. Hope you enjoy the final installment of this story!

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Sara and Catherine walked to the break room all the while chatting about this and that. When they stepped into the break room, Sara instantly felt at home. All her old teammates, except Greg, were there along with the couple new additions since her days at the lab.

"Sara!" Warrick exclaimed as he raised a hand in greeting. "Nick said you were back in town. Welcome home!"

"Hi, Warrick. How's it going?"

"Not bad, not bad." Then, he greeted Catherine. "Hey, Catherine."

"Hey, yourself, Warrick. Hi, Nick, haven't seen you in a while."

"What are you doing here, Catherine? Missing the old team already?" Nick joked.

"Nah, you kidding? I like giving out the orders, not taking them."

"No need to remind me," Nick teased. Catherine responded by punching him in the arm. "Uncle, uncle," he cried as he threw up his hands in self-defense causing everyone to break out in laughter. "That was the same arm that Sara punched me in earlier," he whined and rubbed his arm.

Warrick just chuckled. "Ah, Nick, take it like a man." Then lowering his voice to a conspiratorial but loud whisper, he told Nick, "You have to be more like me. You may think it. You may even say it. Just don't say it front of the fairer sex." Catherine sent Warrick a glowering glare.

As Nick, Warrick and Catherine continued talking, Sara greeted Jason and Colbie, the two CSIs who had joined the team since her departure. Jason, who was her replacement, was an outgoing, friendly guy. Over the years, between her visits to the labs and meals and other get-togethers with the team, Sara had gotten to know Jason pretty well. He was just another one of the guys. Colbie, Catherine's replacement, however, was shy and reserved. But from what she'd been hearing from the guys, that was just a first impression. Once they started getting to know her, they soon realized she was the adventurous type who wouldn't say no to any challenge. Her latest thrill being skydiving, she had actually talked Nick into going with her once. Later on, Sara found out from Warrick that Nick's' fiancée had read him the riot act afterwards and he ended up sleeping on the sofa a couple nights.

"Sara," Nick called getting her attention, "since you have an 'in' with the bossman, do you know anything about this new CSI that is supposed to be joining our team?"

"What new CSI?" she asked.

"Didn't Gris tell you? We're supposed to be getting a new CSI added to the team."

Warrick interjected, "For once, they're giving us extra help without us having to beg for it."

"Really? When did you hear about it?" Sara feigned innocence.

"About a week ago. Grissom told us that someone would be joining us in a couple weeks and that's about it. He's been pretty close-lipped about the whole thing. Rumor has it that it's someone with several years experience. We got Grissom to confirm that but that's about it." He glanced around at his fellow teammates. "You know, that could be a good thing or that could be a bad thing. It means he can jump right in without much training. On the other hand, he could be stubborn and set in his ways and not fit in with the team." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"What else have you heard?" Sara was curious as to what they might know.

"One rumor has it that it's someone from the East coast and just about to retire," Jason spoke up.

Colbie put in her two cents. "I heard just yesterday that it's some gal from California. L.A. I think."

"That's a new one," Warrick said.

"There are so many rumors flying," Colbie continued. "Just a couple days ago, Hodges told me that he heard from a very reliable source that it's a former FBI agent."

Sara shook her head in disbelief. She wondered how some of those rumors ever got started. "Colbie, if it came from Hodges, I wouldn't pay much attention to it. His reality is a little different than everyone else's."

"Yeah, I've figured that one out already."

Nick continued to press the issue. "So, Gris really didn't tell you anything about this new CSI?"

"No, he, uh, didn't mention anything to me," Sara waffled. That was the truth. It wasn't like she was outright lying. After all, the job offer had come from the lab director and not Grissom. So she could honestly say she hadn't heard about the new position from Grissom.

Just then, Greg shuffled in saving Sara from Nick's version of the Spanish Inquisition. Greg slumped into a chair, folded his arms on top of the table and dropped his head onto his arms. He looked like the walking dead.

"Greg, man, you're late!" Warrick hollered.

"Lay off! Baby. Up all afternoon. Up all evening. Just crying and crying. Need sleep," Greg continued to mumble.

Everyone laughed. Sara still couldn't believe Greg was a father. In so many ways, he was just a kid himself but every time Sara had seen him with his baby girl Desiree, she could tell he was a loving, doting father. His girlfriend Emma had gotten pregnant only four months after they had started dating and they moved in together before the baby was born. Although they had yet to get married, everyone knew it would only be a matter of time. Anyone spending time in their company could see that they were deeply in love and were committed to each other and their baby.

"Poor Greggo," Sara laughed as she ruffled his hair on her way to the coffee machine.

Greg swatted at her hand as if it was an annoying fly. As it sunk in whose voice that was, he slowly lifted his head. "Sara?" Upon spying her, he jumped up and gave her a big hug.

"Ugh, what's with all the hugs today? You'd think I'd been gone six months, not six weeks. I feel like a teddy bear about to have its stuffing popped."

Greg responded by squeezing her even harder. "I never had such a cute teddy bear when I was growing up," he teased. "Run away with me. Take me away from all of this." Everyone laughed. Even after all these years and even though both of them were in committed relationships, he still loved to flirt with Sara.

"Greg, I'm a married woman!"

"So? We live in Nevada. You can get a quicky divorce and I'm still legally unattached . . . "

"Greg!"

"Greg," a deep voice came warningly from the doorway.

"Oh, hey, sorry, boss," Greg responded sheepishly as he dropped his arms and returned to his seat.

Everyone came to attention as Grissom stepped into the room. Sara and Catherine moved to the back of the room and sat down so the team could discuss their assignments. However, Grissom didn't start out with assignments right away. "Here, Sara, this came for you," he said as he grinned and tossed her something soft and black.

When it landed in her lap, she could see it was a garment of some sort. Sara glanced at Grissom and was confused. She had thought at first that it was his T-shirt but she could still see it peeking out from under his lab coat. Meanwhile, all eyes had turned on her. She shook the garment out. Upon seeing what it was, she grinned widely. Behind her, Catherine gasped which only fueled the others' curiosity. "Gee, I don't know. Think this will look on me?" She slowly turned the field vest around so everyone could see. There upon the name tag was "SIDLE-GRISSOM".

There was a moment of stunned silence and then everyone started talking and asking questions at once.

"Stop, stop," laughed Sara as she refolded the vest. "I can only answer one question at a time."

"Are you coming back?" Warrick asked.

"Yes, I'm coming back. Full-time starting a week from Monday."

"Which shift?" Nick asked.

"Night."

"Night?" Greg gave a whoop but then, with a look of confusion and concern settling on his face, he turned to Grissom. "But if you two are married, isn't that going to be a problem? You know, with the personnel rules and all that jazz?"

"Whole sections of the personnel policies were rewritten over a year ago and the nepotism policy was one of them," Grissom stated matter-of-factly. "There are some provisions we'll have to follow, like I can't do Sara's evaluations. That'll be up to the assistant lab director."

"Bet you're glad that's not Ecklie anymore," Greg commented to Sara. Everyone cracked up at that except Jason and Colbie who weren't aware of all the animosity there had been between Sara and the old assistant lab director.

"Otherwise," Grissom continued, "there should be no concerns." As Grissom realized that no one remembered the changes, he shook his head. "You guys, really need to read the interoffice memos. If you had, you would've already known about these policy changes."

Catherine snorted. "Gris, since when have you paid attention to policies?"

Grissom just shrugged. "Since it started affecting me."

"Wait a second," Nick drawled as he turned his attention back to Sara. "You said just a few minutes ago that Grissom never said anything to you about the new position."

"He didn't. I got a call from the lab director offering me the job. Although I later found out that he had first asked Grissom if he thought I would be interested in the job. Apparently he had heard that I was getting close to wrapping up my degree and knew I had worked here previously. From what I read between the lines, I guess he felt that my degree would be an asset to the lab and its reputation. So, after checking with Grissom and looking at my old personnel records, he offered me the job, no questions asked."

"Cool," Greg exclaimed. "It'll be like having the old team back together again." Then realizing that Catherine was not part of the team of the team anymore, he sheepishly grinned. "Oh, sorry, Catherine."

"That's ok. I'm happy for you guys. But Sara, I thought when you quit, you said you were done with death and the seedier side of life."

"At the time, I was. After my abusive childhood and then the kidnapping, not to mention the daily grind of dealing with death and crime at every turn, I truly was through with it all. I was physically and emotionally exhausted. But after being away from it for a while, I was able to get some perspective on things. I've missed the thrill of solving the puzzle and the satisfaction of putting criminals behind bars. And I really would like to help other victims and their families find the closure they need. Anyways, I told Gris how I felt a few months back and after we talked about it and that he would be OK with it, I seriously started considering coming back. So when this job offer came up, especially to be back with my old team, I jumped at it. Don't get me wrong, I'll never regret going back and getting my doctorate. It was always something that sat there as unfinished business which bothered me. But this is truly where I want to be."

"Girl, you are so welcome back," Warrick said and everyone joined in with their mutual enthusiasm for her return.

"Thanks, Warrick. Thanks, everyone. It's good to know I'm welcomed back and not just thrust upon everyone."

"Alright," Grissom interrupted the celebration. "Let's get back to the business at hand, shall we? Greg, you have a B&E at this address. You'll solo on this one." As Greg sleepily reached out for the piece of paper, Grissom warned him, "And try to stay awake."

"Sorry, the baby didn't let me get much sleep."

Sara glanced at Grissom to see what his reaction would be as Greg unwittingly gave Grissom a peek into his future. Grissom was just rolling his eyes but she could tell that on the inside, he was groaning at the thought of lost sleep. Then Sara realized that at some point, probably during the hoopla of her return to the lab, Grissom had removed his lab coat. But no one had caught on yet. Sara caught Grissom's eye and he winked at her conspiratorially. Sara started picking at some lint on her pants but she really was just trying to hide a smile.

"Warrick, you, and Jason have two DBs at a home in Summerlin. And Nick, there's a DB at the Golden Sunshine nursing home. Colbie will run with you."

"A nursing home? What's so unusual about a DB at a . . . "

But before Nick could finish his sentence, Catherine slapped Sara on the shoulder. "What the hell are you two trying to pull?" she exclaimed. "You couldn't be satisfied with one bombshell?"

Sara glanced over her shoulder to see Catherine staring at Grissom. Sara tried to suppress her laughter. She knew exactly what Catherine meant but wasn't about to admit it yet. She wanted to lead her on for a while yet. "What are you talking about, Catherine?"

"I'm not a CSI for nothing. The evidence is in plain sight," Catherine continued as she swept her hand up and down indicating Grissom. Everyone turned to look at Grissom and when they saw what Catherine was seeing, they sat in stunned silence for the second time that night as realization slowly sank in.

"Oh, yeah," Sara stated, "did I mention that I'm going to have to take several weeks off in about seven months?"

But still there were no comments as everyone continued to stare at Grissom's T-shirt and its bold statement of "WORLD'S GREATEST FATHER".

"Hey, Gris," she called out, "you might want to start getting some parenting advice from Greg."

Grissom blushed a deep red and groaned while the rest of the room broke out with laughter and congratulations. Sara was pulled into several more hugs and Grissom received a round of hearty handshakes and shoulder slaps from all the guys.

As everyone finally quieted down and the team turned their attention back to the work at hand, Sara looked around the room at her teammates, her friends, her extended family. Sara sighed contentedly. Everything in her life was falling into place in ways she could've only dreamed about, and certainly had never expected, when she first came to Vegas. She almost had her doctorate degree, she was returning to a career she loved, she had wonderful friends who she could count on through thick and thin and, best of all, a wonderful, supportive marriage with the love of her life and soon, a family of her own.

* * *

THE END 


End file.
